About Aljen Asset Management, LLC

What is Aljen?

Aljen Asset Management, LLC, established in 2003, is an independent fee-based/commission registered investment advisory firm providing comprehensive financial planning, services, and products to families and corporations across the United States.

As fiduciaries, we prioritize our clients’ interests above all else. Our commitment to acting in your best interest is at the core of everything we do. We adhere to the highest standards of integrity and transparency, ensuring that every recommendation and decision is made with your financial well-being in mind.

Our team, comprised of Certified Financial Planners (CFP®), employs a balanced investment philosophy centered on strategic asset allocation. This approach is designed to preserve and grow your financial assets over the long term, tailored specifically to your unique investment objectives, liquidity needs, risk tolerance, and future aspirations. By starting with your goals and visions, we craft personalized financial plans that evolve with you.

As third-party administrators for qualified retirement plans, we offer turn-key solutions that empower employers to efficiently manage their retirement programs while providing participants with robust support and a range of no-load investment options. Whether you’re planning for retirement or seeking comprehensive financial planning, Aljen Asset Management is dedicated to guiding you toward financial success with trust and expertise.

Elliott S. Collins CFP®

Mr. Collins is the Principal and Founder of Aljen Asset Management, LLC, an investment management firm and full-service employee benefits administration provider. Previously, he served as Principal and Co-Founder of WesCliffe Asset Management, Inc., an investment management and benefits administration firm founded in 1989.

Mr. Collins holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Babson College (formerly Babson Institute of Business Administration) in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His investment career began in 1984 at Moore & Schley, a member firm of the New York Stock Exchange, where he rose to the position of Co-Director of the Moore & Schley Pension Department. In 1988, he transitioned to Shearson Lehman Hutton as a Financial Professional Consultant, specializing in retirement planning. In 1992, Mr. Collins earned his Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) certification and subsequently taught certified financial planning courses at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Mr. Collins was named by New Jersey Monthly Magazine as one of the 2020 Five Star Wealth Managers of the Year.

The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a registered investment adviser or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by Five Star Professional, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. Award does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. Once awarded, wealth managers may purchase additional profile ad space or promotional products. The Five Star award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their client’s assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by Five Star Professional or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future. For more information on the Five Star award and the research/selection methodology, go to fivestarprofessional.com. 6,097 New Jersey area wealth managers were considered for the award; 477 (8 percent of candidates) were named 2019 Five Star Wealth Managers. 2018: 4,383 considered, 415 winners; 2017: 3,868 considered, 664 winners; 2016: 4,143 considered, 626 winners; 2015: 5,063 considered, 672 winners; 2014: 3,315 considered, 646 winners; 2013: 4,049 considered, 733 winners; 2012: 1,312 considered, 400 winners.

As CFP® professionals we meet rigorous education and experience requirements and are required to complete continuing education coursework. We are held to ethical and professional standards in the financial industry. CFP® professionals must master nearly 100 integrated financial planning topics ranging from:

Investments
Income tax planning
Retirement planning
Employee benefits
Estate planning
Risk management
Insurance
As CFP® practitioners we adhere to a strictly defined planning process:

Meet with clients and gather data
Establish and define the Client-Planner Relationship
Analyze and evaluate the client’s current financial status and goals
Developing and presenting financial planning recommendations and processes
Implementing the financial planning process
Ongoing monitoring of the process and recommendations
Practicing with professional and regulatory standards
CFP® Practitioners must agree to abide by a strict code of ethics.

Integrity
Objectivity
Competence
Fairness
Confidentiality
Professionalism
Diligence
Provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.
CFP® Practitioners are compensated for their services they provide in different ways. Some are paid through commissions, and others through fees or a combination of both.

As more people call themselves “financial planners”, finding the right professional to address your financial planning needs isn’t always as easy. Become familiar with a certified financial planner’s business style and understand the level of services he or she provides. Look for a measure of the planner’s commitment to ethical and professional quality standards. Look for a Certified Financial Planner who will put you and your needs at the center of every financial planning engagement.